


The Pet's Soldiers

by EvilDime



Series: (Un)necessary fix-its [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: HYDRA Trash Party, M/M, Not A Nice Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-19
Updated: 2015-12-03
Packaged: 2018-05-02 10:17:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 2,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5244617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvilDime/pseuds/EvilDime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Asset is malfunctioning. Tony knows it. He knows weapons, his father taught him. This one does not perform as it should. ... Does not tell its handlers that there is a problem - instead it tells Tony. </p><p><em>Response to stoatsandwich's fic </em><a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/2672060/chapters/5974091">"The Soldier's Pet"</a>, which is a drabble of 280 utterly destructive words.<br/><em>Read that first; this will make a lot more sense then.</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Soldier's Pet](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2672060) by [stoatsandwich](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stoatsandwich/pseuds/stoatsandwich). 



_"He's outlived his usefulness. Enjoy this; it'll be the last time."_

A door banging shut. Two hands on him, one cold and one colder. Hot breath against his neck, like an animal. A fucking animal.

Darkness.

Then cold. Arms trapping him against a too-strong body. Hurts. Everything hurts. It's too cold...!

* * *

_"...higher-ups decided to keep him. Asset didn't want to lose his pet, and apparently he'd earned a reward... not meant for two but there's just enough room... dunno what he sees in that skinny, pathetic brat... asthma maybe, heart don't sound so good either... been in that room too long without medical care... whatever keeps the Asset happy, I guess ..."_

Laughter. Cold water as they hose him down. Red streaks trailing down his legs. Back to the tank. Struggling to breathe through another panic attack. Reality narrowing down to a single point of icy darkness.

How many days has it been? How many weeks? Years? How many times in the ice since he should have died?

* * *

_"That man on the bridge. I know him."_

The Asset is malfunctioning. Tony knows it. He knows weapons, his father taught him. This one does not perform as it should. Does not take care of its bodily functions by raping Tony. Does not tell its _handlers_ that there is a problem - instead it tells _Tony._

"Do not tell them," he finds himself advising the Asset. "They will make you forget."

The fist to the mouth hurts, but not as much as the brutal rape.

* * *

_"_ _We are leaving_ _now."_

The Asset did not tell them.

Brief flashes of buildings soaring past underneath. The Asset's every jump jarring his feeble body. Pain like a hot coal between his legs. Burning. Burning up now.

Burning...

* * *

_"Howard? Oh my god, what did they do to you!"_

_"Steve, I don't think that is..."_

_"But look at him, Sam! He looks just like Howie!"_

_"I know, Steve. I know you think your friend Bucky somehow returned from the dead just like you did, but Howard Stark did not. Stark was not a young man when he died, and this guy doesn't look a day older than twenty. Also, I'm not sure that man you saw was your Bucky."_

_"But Sam! You've seen him! He has a metal arm now, and obviously Hydra brainwashed him, but I would know Bucky anywhere. I'm not giving up on him now that I finally have him back! - Look, he even rescued this chap here from them."_

Tony struggles to push up on his elbows. Then he leans over the side of the bed and is noisily sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope Tony's quick bouts of consciousness are not too short to make sense.  
> ...This still feels incomplete, but I don't know how to word what's on my mind right now. Will probably write more, though. (Should I?)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I have a tiny bit more...

When Tony awakes, he finds himself face to face with Captain-fucking-America. The man his father admired. The man who seems to have a thing for the Asset.

What a laugh.

But Tony finds he cannot laugh. The super-soldier smiles at him and says: "Mister Stark, it is wonderful to see you awake." He says more, but Tony is not aware of the words. He is aware of the overly muscular hand on his right shoulder.

He is also aware of being on his knees and begging to please not be hurt. He does not know how he went from one to the other.

Captain America is no longer smiling.

* * *

"Get up."

Darkness. _His_ voice.

Tony whimpers, then quickly stifles it. Sliding off the bed where he knows he does not belong, not really, he gets down on his knees.

He tastes salt in the liquid pooling at the corner of his mouth. His cheek feels cold and his eyes sting. Tony struggles to breathe through the tears, struggles to peal off his fluffy, warm pyjama bottoms. They do not belong.

The cold hand stops him. Tony freezes.

"You said you could fix this."

It is not a question. Tony's eyes rise to the screwdriver in the Asset's hand, flicking over to the wire sticking out of his damaged arm.

He feels his head dip in a choppy nod.

* * *

_"He was protecting me, Sam, I swear he was! But then - his, his arm seemed to suddenly get jammed or I don't know and it was just – They TOOK him, Sam! HYDRA TOOK HIM BACK!!!"_

Tony is not the one sobbing. Not this time.

There is something deeply disturbing about it.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adding any chapter past the first feels risky, like I'll weaken what I've written by taking it too far.  
> But I just can't help it. Hope you'll enjoy the additions.
> 
> Chapter warning: somewhat graphic violence.

* * *

Tony knows he isn't ready for this. His suit is working fine, it's a masterpiece. He will be nigh on invincible in it.

He still does not want to leave the apartment and step out into the streets.

So he leaves from the roof.

* * *

The man introduces himself as Nick Fury. Tony thinks he has done so several times already over the last several months, but it never sticks.

S.H.I.E.L.D.

HYDRA.

Names, just names. What's in a name?

Pictures of the nuclear wasteland that is New York today flicker across the tv screen. Tony does not like the news. He turns his head and focuses on his work.

* * *

"He's done it again."

Tony sighs and puts down the soldering iron. He helps Sam maneuver the Captain into the bedroom the two men share. Then he leaves them to it and fetches a cloth to wipe the blood off the kitchen floor.

If he were incapable of getting drunk, maybe he would be picking fights with large gangs in shady alleys, too.

It wouldn't take him so much effort to lose, though.

* * *

Heavy metal, drawn shutters, sleepless nights' work well-hidden from unseen eyes.

When the Winter Soldier is sent to destroy Captain America, Tony is ready.

_"Bucky, please, you have to remember...!"_

Sickening noises answer the pleas of a man so good that Tony will never stop feeling guilty.

Panic would have him jumping out the window, escaping the scene.

Revenge would have him blast the Winter Soldier through the wall.

The sick feeling in his gut wins out over both.

Tony finds himself stepping in front of Captain America. A hot knife between his legs, he thinks. That would have been kinder than the Asset's startled breath of recognition. "Pet..."

This time, it _is_ panic. Gas exits the ducts at a much higher density than intended. He only just manages to lock down his visor. Four seconds later, Tony is for once the last man standing. At his feet, a broken mess of a hero and his very own personal nightmare.

* * *

The metal arm hits the carpet with a very satisfying _thunk._

Tony meticulously cleans each tooth of the saw before he returns the tool to its place. He does not clean the damaged area on the Asset. 

It will heal. 

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drabbling on... prepare for a bit of a new direction. Thanks, everyone, for the kudos! ^^

 

* * *

 

Life is good, now. A company to run, a lovely assistant. Working to replace nuclear power plants with green energy.  Researching chemicals to decontaminate the area that the state nuked in a panic. Doing good. Being useful. 

_"You said you could fix this."_

Shards of a broken screwdriver sting the palm of his clenched fist.

* * *

_"...Please, just_ listen _to me!!!"_

Blood spatters the window.

"'Been like that from the go. The man doesn't remember a damn thing and just ignores everyone. Everyone but Steve. Him, he tries to kill every single fucking time. 'Course, Captain just keeps coming back for more."

Tony looks through the one-way mirror into the room. They haven't tied the Asset up. Even without the Arm, no-one but Captain America dares enter the room rather than just push in food through the slot.

The Asset does not eat.

"Does it ever go beyond violence?" Sam's raised eyebrow lets him know he spoke out loud. It also tells him that Sam has good instincts about what happened to Tony, even though he never said a word.

To anyone.

They watch in silence. It's like watching a glacier melt: With every hit, a piece of Steve Rogers seems to come crashing down and vanish into the ocean. Tony knows before long the hero will be as flat and broken as the Asset.

_"I can fix it."_ When Sam reacts to the voice from his past, Tony realizes with a sick feeling that he's spoken out loud.

* * *

He does not explain why he should be the one the Winter Soldier will recognize. Nor does he think Captain America needs to see his former best friend's reaction to Tony's approach. They try to forbid him from going in.

Pepper can be very persuasive when she wears his suit.

She does not agree either. She supports him regardless. He hopes she's wearing the earplugs like he told her to.

Tony opens the door.

As it bangs shut behind him, he drops down to his knees.

 


	5. Chapter 5

The cold hand does not come. _Wrong._

No harsh grip to his hair. _Confusing._

Silence. _Frightening._

It's too much. Tony shakily raises his head.

The Asset seems frozen in place. Then his lips move. "Pet...?"

Tony forces his head to nod.

Two steps. A hand roughly twisting into his hair, wrenching his head back. Burning eyes meet his.

Tony goes slack.

The people on the other side of the one-way mirror no longer matter, no longer exist. He is back in the cell with the Asset. The strong grip tells him that struggling will hurt. So he doesn't.

He waits for the hand to guide him forward, for his mouth; or down, to bring up his rear.

The Asset does neither.

Tony shrieks in panicked surprise when the arm comes down around his back and pulls him against a muscular chest. A head falls onto his shoulder, completely trapping him. Panic takes over, shutting down Tony's thoughts.

It takes him a long time to realize that he is being hugged.

* * *

"We need to leave. They will come to hurt you."

A mad giggle reaches Tony's ears. He realizes it's him.

The Asset stiffens. "I need to... It is my job to protect you. Is. It was. I... I don't... I _need_ to protect you."

Tony loses it. It helps. He's no longer trembling. "And I thought you were mad before," he mutters.

Tony can't do this.

Fuck making it up to Captain America.

"Listen up," he says, no longer caring that the Asset still has his arm around him. "In case they wiped this from your scrambled mind: _You_ are the guy who raped me every time he saw me. For twenty years running. Do you really think I'd trust you to have my back?"

"You sabotaged my arm. And then cut it off," the Asset hisses.

"And that makes it _alright_?!"

When the arm around him tightens, Tony remembers his position. All colour drains from his face. The urge to drop to his knees is overwhelming, but he is already kneeling and so is the Asset and the man still isn't hurting him and none of it makes sense.

Oxygen no longer seems to exist. Vivid spots dance in front of Tony's eyes and his field of vision scrolls to the end titles, preparing for fade-out.

_"Breathe,"_ he hears. It's an order. Tony knows better than to ignore orders from that voice.

_"Hold your breath."_ He does.

_"Breathe out."_

_"Breathe in."_

_"Hold your breath..."_

When Tony stops hyperventilating, he notices that the floor is cold, but the chest he is being held against is nice and warm.

Nausea hits sudden and intense.

He must not puke on the legs wrapped around him. Tony struggles feebly.

"Hush," the Asset says. "Get up now. We need to leave."

Tony does without question.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found out where I want to go with this. ^^  
> So it'll be three more tiny chaplets, each shorter than the one before it. Also, that new direction I mentioned earlier? Yeah, totally going with that. I hope you'll like it, even though the ending is a bit... unlikely. ; )


	6. Chapter 6

When the door proves unlocked under the Asset's touch, Tony is as disturbed by it as the Asset. They step through. On the other side are the Avengers, still arguing whether to allow the Winter Soldier to leave or try to keep him here.

Captain America is crouching against the back wall, face hidden in his hands.

Tony wishes Steve's thoughts weren't so easy to guess. His best friend a rapist. The victim he took in the reason said friend was recaptured.

Guilt is not helpful. Tony focuses firmly on the Asset.

Intense gaze. Fighting stance. His one arm spread protectively in front of his Pet. Tony stifles another mad giggle.

Captain America looks up. His eyes meet the Asset's. Stiff shoulders go even more rigid. No-one attacks. They do not wish to endanger Tony.

Tony knows the Asset cannot win against the people assembled in this room. Not without his arm.

The Asset knows it, too.

"Let him leave," the man growls menacingly.

A twitch of an arm. A raised eyebrow. Mouth dropping open. Eyes widened the tiniest fraction. Body language varies, but the emotion is the same. The Asset was not expected to be protective.

Tony _never_ talked about his captivity. 

"It's okay," he tells the Asset, tells the group, tells himself. "No-one's going to hurt me.  Not them, and not y-you." He risks a glance up at the Asset. 

"They are Hydra. They have hurt you before."  Intense stare.

"They fight Hydra. They have protected me when you left me with them."

A quick intake of breath, like storm peeking in through a window. "I left you?"

"You got me away from Hydra. You brought me to him." Tony indicates the muscular super-soldier with the worn jeans and T-shirt. "He protected me."

"No!" the Asset hisses. "He wouldn't! He is Hydra."

"He is not. He fights Hydra."

"I've seen him with Fury. With Pierce."

Tony knows the Captain and the man called Fury aren't Hydra, but is unsure of the details. He doesn't know who Pierce is. The Winter Soldier's new handlers never introduced themselves to him. But he can fix this. 

He steps in front of the Asset, his back to the rest of the room. "Do you remember why you left Hydra? With me?"

The Asset roughly pushes him back behind him. "Stay back!"  The arm to his chest knocks the breath out of Tony.

His reality breaks.

He is on his knees, in the cell, and the Asset is angry. _"I'm sorry,"_ he whimpers. _"I'm sorry._ _Please!_ _"_

The imposing shape looms in front of him. There's something wrong with it, something missing. Tony doesn't care to find out what. He raises his hands to spread his cheeks. Diversion sometimes helps against further punishment. He is startled to encounter cloth.

_"Pet, stop!"_

The harsh order hits him like a whip. He freezes.

_"Get up."_

He does.

An arm comes around his back, pulling him against a strong chest.

Tony panics. _"No, please, I'll be good, please..."_ He is slack in the Asset's grip. His begging is a whisper, nearly toneless.

A loud  sob breaks through his panic. 

That wasn't him.

Tony slowly drifts back up to the present.  They should have left Captain America in the ice, he thinks. Then he wouldn't have had to witness this. 

* * *

 


	7. Chapter 7

Captain America looks broken. He speaks up regardless, a soldier giving his report. "Nick Fury killed Pierce. He discovered that S.H.I.E.L.D. was in Hydra's hands. We made it public. Leading Hydra operatives were killed or captured. S.H.I.E.L.D. was dismantled. The people in this room are not Hydra."

His clenched fists tremble at his sides. "We _fight_ Hydra."

The Asset hesitates. "I have insufficient data." He looks down at Tony.

"Do you remember why you left Hydra with me?" Tony repeats, voice shaky.

Every inch of the Asset looks cramped up with tension. "I do not."

"I do," Tony says. He hopes he sounds more confident than he feels. "You remembered that man." Again, his finger points at Captain America. "You remembered despite them wanting you to forget.You did not tell Hydra. You told me." He skips the details. "Then you took me to him."

The trembling increases.

"You left me with him," Tony says, every word very deliberate, "because you knew I was safer with him than with you."

The arm falls down, leaden. There's a noise like a wounded animal.

"You hurt me. They fixed me. They are not my enemies."

The Arm around Tony is withdrawn. The Asset's stance looks absurdly insecure."But... My mission is to protect... Your respiration... your heart... always so sick... I had to _protect_ you!"

Another strangled noise. Tony looks across the room. A look of fierce horror and pain is on Captain America's face. "Me..." the man whispers. "He mistook you for me."

Eighteen years, and Tony finally knows why the Asset did not let Hydra kill him when he ceased to be useful. This time, he gives in to the mad giggle until he chokes on his tears and the end credits fade out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said, getting ever shorter. Only a tiny bit left now...


	8. Chapter 8

Captain America asks Tony exactly once to make a new arm for "Bucky".

The _crunch_ of his nose as it breaks is very satisfying.

* * *

They make him go to therapy. They all know, now. No point in hiding. He confronts his fear, his helplessness. His guilt.

The screwdriver the Asset once handed him to fix his arm gave Tony back agency. Returned to him his sense of self, his skills, his joy in manipulating complicated machines.

Pepper gives him back his joy of life.

* * *

Tony sometimes visits Steve. The Winter Soldier always quickly withdraws to another room. 

Tony still sees the cheap prosthetic.

* * *

When Ultron hits the stage, he is torn apart by a blast from Bucky Barnes's Arm, Stark Edition (BASE™).

His father taught Tony how to make good weapons. Life taught him who not to give them to. But sometimes, he thinks, it is not wrong to have a little faith.

  


~ The End ~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was it. Short. Sorry.  
> I hope you enjoyed it. I had fun writing, anyway. ^^


End file.
